Chapter 257: One Fast Strike
"Come in." Susan said over the soft knocks.
Brooke smiled when Julian stepped into the room, under the assumption that he would be joining them for their little dinner.
However, Kayden got up abruptly, "Aunt Susan, Brooke, I’m turning in for the night." He announced.
Brooke blinked twice, she averted her gaze to his half full plate, was he just going to leave without finishing his food?
Susan parted her lips, "At least finish the meal-" she tried to reason but he walked past Julian and stepped outside.
Julian let out a sigh, he tried to go after him, but Susan got up and went instead, leaving Brooke with her brother.
A nervous smile fled his lips, "I’m sorry you had to see that." He told her, standing by the door.
Brooke animatedly shook her head, "I’m okay really, you all are very nice people." She assured him.
"Yes, they really are."
Brooke noticed how he excluded himself from that statement, she felt she could somewhat relate to how Julian was feeling.
"You can join me for dinner if you’d like-"
Julian smiled politely. "I’m full. I just came here to make sure you were settled in nicely. Your husband will have my head if I cause even the slightest discomfort." He teased.
But Brooke brushed him off by changing the subject, "What about Cassie and Serena?"
His demeanor dampened, "I confronted them about it, and just like you said, Cassie feels no remorse whatsoever about what she did to you." He took some steps closer, but still maintained a civil enough distance.
An obvious civil distance.
After all, he was a stranger and Brooke was a married woman.
Unexpectedly, Julian fell to his knees, his palms pressed together, "Please, I know I’m asking a lot-"
"Hey! Stop that!" Brooke got up and tried helping him up, but Julian refused to budge.
His eyes watery the old man continued to beg, "I can’t expect this of you, not after everything she’s done, but please could you try to forgive Cassie, I beg you. If only I had been in her life earlier, she wouldn’t have turned out this rotten. It’s all my fault Cassie is the way she is now. I’m a failure of a parent." He sobbed, his shoulders jerking fully.
Tears welled up in Brooke’s eyes, what on Earth did Cassie ever do to deserve such a considerate father? She thought over the sound of near distant hollering in the hallway.
"Please, get up. I can’t bear to see you act this way. I beg you-" she was in the middle of saying, when all of a sudden Cassie barged into the bedroom, with a dinner knife in hand!
Some moments prior to this, Serena was downstairs, trying to convince Cassie to go after Julian and apologize to him.
"Cassie please! We worked so hard for this! We can’t let this chance slip by!" Her mother pleaded on her knees, hugging Cassie’s legs.
But Cassie wouldn’t budge. Her eyes livid, her tone venomous, she cursed, "Why would I have to apologize to that wench?! The old man chose her over me! How dare he?!"
Serena frowned, she couldn’t understand why Cassie wasn’t complying. Brooke was the man’s real daughter, and the two had met. The lie about her being Brooke’s aunt would soon be uncovered if they didn’t take action immediately.
’I don’t know Scott’s number! I would’ve called him to get this situation under control! What do I do now?! How do I manage this situation?!’ she bit her lower lip.
Cassie picked up her fork and knife and tried to eat again, but Serena held her wrist. "You’re not eating a single morsel of food until you do what he’s asked you to!"
Cassie struggled against her mother’s grip, but the woman did not let up.
"You ungrateful bitch! He’s going to have us kicked out if you don’t play your part well." Her tone lowered she leaned in, "Now get your selfish self off that chair and find Brooke."
Cassie scoffed in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind? Do you even know who you’re-" she tried to threaten her mother, but Serena turned the tables on her.
Her lips flattened into a wicked smile she whispered into Cassie’s ear, "Don’t forget who the real heir to this wealth is. Unlike you Cassie, I’m the actual mother to Julian’s child and have a direct link to him. But what about you?" She asked in a mocking tone.
"I could always confess that Brooke is his real daughter, he might be angry at me, but that’s nothing a little crying and pleading won’t fix. Eventually he’d forgive me, and I can continue living here. But for you, with Luther out on the streets, and Ethan ignoring you, you’d be left with no one, no one but your arrogant self!" She spat out, instilling fear in Cassie.
A rare occurrence.
Teary eyed and pissed, Cassie looked at Serena in disbelief. "You’d throw your own daughter under the bus-"
Serena hardened her voice, "I’ve done it once and I’d do it again. So before picking fights with me, learn your place and do as I tell you to!" Her mother instructed.
Obviously, Serena had no plan of doing such.
’Just the thought of living with Brooke irks my bones.’ To her, Brooke was far too arrogant to tame, unless Cassie who answered solely to money.
Brooke couldn’t be bought so easily.
She merely wanted to scare Cassie into obeying.
Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that Cassie would nab her dinner knife and furiously charge towards the hallway.
"Cassie! Cassie! Come back!" She cried, dragging her away, but Cassie shrugged her off, and followed the sound of conversation, until it led her into a bedroom.
Inside, Cassie locked her gaze on Brooke, who had her hands latched onto her father!
"You thieving bitch!" She cried, raising the knife, aiming for Brooke’s eyes, and then bringing it down with full force!
Stab
In one fast strike, the blade wedged deep into the skin, and the body fell miserably to the ground in a loud thud!